When is reporting a person to the police required?

[Josh]

I'm also surprised that 3 people said they would report immigration offenses to ICE. Is that REALLY what some people here are doing? Calling ICE on their neighbors and co-workers and such? Because a lot of people in farm country had better have ICE on their speed dial if that is the case.

Are you saying it’s wrong to report lawbreakers to ICE? Immigration violations are often associated with fraud and sex trafficking. Should we not report such things?

And the 2 people who would call the police to report a 5 year old who stole candy from a store. Really? The police? Talk to the store manager and make restitution. Yes. That is the correct thing to do. But the police do not need to be involved with every human interaction. Nor do they want to be.

I’m puzzled by that one.

[Ken]

I'm also surprised that 3 people said they would report immigration offenses to ICE. Is that REALLY what some people here are doing? Calling ICE on their neighbors and co-workers and such? Because a lot of people in farm country had better have ICE on their speed dial if that is the case.

Are you saying it’s wrong to report lawbreakers to ICE? Immigration violations are often associated with fraud and sex trafficking. Should we not report such things?

No, I think most of us encounter undocumented immigrants in our daily lives quite frequently. ESPECIALLY in rural communities that employ farm labor. Travel anywhere in dairy country and you are guaranteed to find lots of undocumented laborers working away on dairy farms. We know from law enforcement statistics that immigrants and undocumented immigrants are much less likely than American citizens to commit crimes. I frequently have children in my classes who's parents are almost certainly undocumented. I don't feel obligated to report their parents and see the families broken up and destroyed.

I'm not saying that it is right or wrong to report immigration violations to ICE. The poll was more about what is the ethical choice not what is legally required. I'm just asking if there are anabaptists out there who believe it is their ethical or religious duty to report undocumented immigrants to ICE. And if they are actually DOING it? As opposed to say providing sanctuary which is what some other Christian groups do.

[Fidelio]

10. Forty year old illegally lives in USA and has no plans of ever returning to his country.

That one will kill a lot of inner-city missions to the Hispanic. We were told, at least under the Obama Administration, that churches were not to ask a Hispanic about their status. But it comes out. Try to set up a church board and see who is qualified. We were sending their kids to a suburban school and could not find a driver among the Hispanics because they did not have proper papers. They drove kids to school but not under any official church program. It is very difficult to do outreach in this situation.